


Feral

by DragonK



Category: Primeval
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Feral Connor, Gen, OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 10:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonK/pseuds/DragonK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While the team is trying to recover from the loss of Nick Cutter, deal with Jenny leaving, and figure out the mysterious Artifact, Helen opens an anomaly in the ARC and injects Connor with something that makes him go feral. As distraction tactics go....this one takes the cake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Au set vaguely late S3, at the point at which Connor and Abby's relationship is on that edge between friends and something more. Any similarities to other fics is completely unintentional. Science within is very approximate and mostly made-up.

[[Now]]

 

Running after him on her own was probably an exceedingly stupid move on her part.

  
"Connor!" Abby called, and skidded to a halt halfway between him and the entrance as he whipped around. He growled at her, eyes dark and blank with no suggestion that he recognized her at all. Connor stalked towards her, moving with the sloping gait of some wild animal. There seemed to be little left of her sweet-hearted best mate in there now.

  
"Conn..." She said gently. He bared his teeth and snarled; he was more feral beast than her best mate, and Abby backed up a step, cautiously. Her mind went into overdrive, taking the mannerisms he had displayed so far and measuring them against what she knew about animal behaviors.

There was something that just might work: baring her neck and taking a stance that was as non-threatening as possible was probably her best bet right now. So she did just that, and was rewarded with an interesting change. Connor shifted, blinked owlishly at her, and though his teeth were still bared, he let out a confused-sounding whine.

  
"Connor Temple," Abby said, tentatively taking a step forwards."It's Abby, your Abby. It's okay, everything's alright," she continued in a soothing tone, extending a hand slowly. He narrowed his eyes, but stayed still as she touched his cheek gently, letting her hand drift up into his hair, petting him as if he was a cat. When a strange rumbling sound began in his throat, she stopped, surprised, and the sound stuttered to a halt. She'd only heard that sound from cats before, which meant... Huh. It meant that Connor was purring, as improbable as that was. Curious, Abby started 'petting' him again, and he leaned into her touch, the sound starting up immediately. Fascinating.

  
This was a very good thing, it meant that she might be able to get him back to the ARC, and from there they'd be able to reverse whatever the hell this was.

 

* * *

 

 

[[Earlier that day]]

 

It had been a normal day to begin with. As usual, both Connor and Abby privately bemoaned the fact that they were no longer sharing a flat, though neither knew the other one missed them just as much. Abby yelled at Jack to wake up and not to make a mess of the flat while she was at work. Lester yelled at Connor for whatever damage Sid and/or Nancy had done to his flat during the night. Abby drove to work alone, missing Connor and the way he restlessly changed the station every few songs, and Lester, grudgingly giving his talkative employee a ride to work, reflected on how much he missed his peace and quiet.

Connor took over at the ADD from the night technician, who headed out. Then he ran scans, and started the updates for anything that needed it. When she arrived, Abby headed to the menagerie, bidding the vet who observed them at night a good rest as the man left, and then she checked on each of the creatures. The morning passed quietly, for three straight, uninterrupted hours.

Until the ADD went wild, blaring loudly; in the Hub, the ADD's screens began to flicker, and then the power went out. Connor pushed his seat back in surprise, twisting around to see what the screen had indicated with his own eyes. An anomaly had appeared in the middle of the room.  
  


* * * 

Abby jerked at the sound of the alarm, immediately putting down the plant she's been taking a sample from, and rushed out of the lab, heading through the suddenly dark hallways to the Hub as they always did in the case of an anomaly alert or other situation. When she entered the large main room, Abby spotted, to her shock, Connor standing only a few feet away from the swirling shards of an anomaly, staring as if hypnotized, as Helen Cutter walked out of the anomaly. She was grinning cruelly at Connor in a way that made Abby's stomach plummet.

The ARC's resident genius backed off, Abby took a step forwards, and Helen, smirking, raised what looked like a tranquilizer gun to point at Connor. The ARC's generator had horrible timing, as the lights went on, blinding Abby for a split second.

 

There was a sound sort of like that of a gun going off, and a disturbingly familiar voice let out a sharp cry of shock and pain. Connor!

 

By the time her eyes adjusted, Helen was gone, and as the alarm's howls faded away to nothing, Abby spotted Connor. She moved towards him, and was relieved to see his eyes open after a moment, but then he growled at her and scooted away and Abby's relief turned into dismay. There was something wrong.

 

Momentarily out of her depth, Abby stepped forwards again, worry for Connor overtaking common sense and training. He growled again, and scrambled to his feet, eyes flicking between her and the doorway behind her. He held a hand to his left shoulder. Abby  noticed a dart lying on the floor beyond him.

"Connor," she said, holding out a hand entreatingly.

With a snarl Connor ran towards her, and Abby froze, eyes wide. He was within a foot of her when she snapped out of it, and grabbed his arm, twisting him and flinging him over with a muttered apology. He hit the ground on his back with a breathless little noise, blinking dazedly at her.

A bit belated, Becker and another male SF entered the room at a run, hesitating a moment in the doorway before joining Abby. The SF grabbed hold of Connor, who had quickly gotten over his momentary daze, and fought against the grip on his arms.

"What happened?!" Becker asked, frowning.

"Helen did something - shot something at him, a dart," she took a deep, calming breath to settle her thoughts, "an anomaly opened in the Hub. When I got here Connor was standing in front of the anomaly and Helen had come out of it, she had what looked a bit like a tranq gun in her hands. When the lights went back on she shot him." Abby bit her lip as she watched Connor growling and struggling. "When I approached, he growled at me. I didn't..." Becker clapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"He'll be alright." Becker said. Abby nodded.

"Right. First thing's first..." She said, walking over to the dart and picking it up carefully, "Okay, bring him to the medic's, I think that's probably best." Becker nodded, gesturing for the other soldier, who helped Connor to his feet. "Blood tests... samples from whatever that dart is..." Abby muttered.

  
"Be careful with him, Heming." Becker said, picking up the dart from the ground as the SF manhandled Connor out of the room, as gently as he could. Abby and the Captain followed.

 

* * *

 

Not even ten minutes later, there were about three drops of blood in the first vial, and Connor had ripped out the needle and ran out of the room, shoving Heming hard enough for the SF to go sprawling on his back.

 

"Connor!" Abby shouted, and immediatly gave chase. Somehow he evaded recapture throuh the ARC, dodging several lab technicians and an SF before exiting the building. She sped up, keeping him in her sight line as she tore down the streets after him. Connor was easy enough to spot in his red hoodie, but he'd had a head start, and it was only sheer luck that she found him in the factory.

 

 

* * *

  


[[Now]]

 

"Abby!" Becker called.

"Where are you?" Danny shouted, the words echoing around the space. Abby cursed them both under her breath as she felt Connor tense in her arms, twisting out of her hold and backing away, hissing slightly, eyes blown wide with fear and a wild sort of caution.

"I'm in here." She said calmly, just loud enough for the men to hear as they approached. "Slow down and quiet down, you're scarin' him." She added. Connor was still backing up, eyes darting as he looked around for a way out. Danny entered the room first, followed by Becker, both pausing as they took in the scene.

"Did he hurt you Abby?" Danny asked. She shook her head.

"No, he recognized me - he was calm. Then you two started shoutin', and now he feels trapped. He might try and attack if we get any closer, though," she said, then turned to glance at Becker. "And you will not be shooting him, okay? Or you'll wish you were dead." Abby cautioned - threatened - the soldier, who nodded.

"I wouldn't dream of it, anyway: he's still Connor." The Captain said. The handgun at his waist stayed in its holster. Abby didn't entirely trust him not to react if Connor turned on him, though, but...

"He's got the instincts of a wild animal right now, I think." She paused, "you two, back up against that wall, and I'm going to try and calm him down again. You might want to sit down, too. Less of a threat."

Danny raised his eyebrows, but nodded, grabbing Becker's shoulder and pulling the other man back. The two did as she suggested, the soldier rather reluctantly, and she slowly moved forwards again.

"Connor, you're okay. They're friends, they're not gonna hurt you, yeah? And I'm not going to, either. You know me, right?" Abby said softly, approaching her best friend. His eyes began to lose some of the terrified-and-trapped look they'd had in them, and brightened slightly at the sound and sight of the familiar pale-haired, blue-eyed person he loved. He whined at her, stepping forwards and then leaning close to nuzzle his nose against the join between her neck and shoulders, and she put a hand on his back, 'petting' him again.

"You're alright," Abby said. He cuddled closer, and she huffed a laugh. He pulled away, eyes narrowed, so she explained, whether he understood or not, well. "Your nose is cold, Connor."  Abby's tone was probably enough to assure him that it wasn't anything to worry about.

He looked over her shoulder at Danny and Becker, and made a sound sort of a cross between a growl and a whine, and then tilted his head, gaze meeting Abby's. There was a hint of recognition in his eyes, which was good.

He was sort of like a wolf, or a big cat. Perhaps he was starting to recognize and identify the others as part of his... pack? Clan? She wasn't quite sure. Abby moved her hand from his shoulder, grasping his hand lightly instead. He paused, and then purred, and let himself be led towards where the other two men sat.

"Okay. So, that was a bit of an adventure." Abby said ruefully. Danny grinned.

"Exercise." The ex-copper commented.

"Like we need any more of that?" She retorted, laughing a little. Becker cleared his throat, which prompted a growl from Connor. Abby squeazed his hand, and he quieted.

"Sarah took the dart after the technician got a sample from it. She wants to see if she might be able to identify it at all," Becker said. "We should probably head back, now that we know he recognizes and trusts you." Abby nodded.

"I think I can get him to come back with us, as long as nothing startles him too badly, and as long as I stay near. He's recognized you two to an extent, I think, but he definitely prefers my company." She chuckled. Danny and Becker exchanged glances, and the red haired of the pair grinned.

Danny said, "I see."

"Can we get up now?" Becker asked, mildly.

"Oh, er, yeah, hold on a moment." She led Connor away a little and kept a careful watch on him as the other two men stood. Connor's eyes narrowed, but the way his fingers were linked with Abby's seemed to keep him calm.

After a few moments to make sure he wouldn't bolt again, they headed back to the ARC.

 


	2. Chapter 2

It was a struggle to convince Connor to allow himself be led out of the abandoned factory building he'd run into, and the walk back to the ARC had been more than a little nerve-wracking. He'd startled at the barking of a dog and the chitter of a squirrel and the sounds of cars, and only Abby's presence had kept him with them.

Now he was fidgeting, perched awkwardly upon the seat of a wheeled computer chair in the ARC's ops area, Abby's fingers carding through his hair.

  
"I don't think he'll run off again, but I can't be sure." Abby said, "but we don't have many other choices, do we?"

  
"There was definitely not enough in that vial to test." Maru Zo, one of the scientists the ARC employed, said, smiling sheepishly.

  
"Okay, I'll try and keep Connor as calm as possible." Abby told nem, with a small sigh.  
The subject of their conversation looked between them, head tilted and eyes bright. Abby glanced at him. "I'm half worried he'll stick his tongue out or ask for a belly scratch at this point - he's more like a... puppy, right now, but I think that's just because of how much he trusts me." Abby said, humor in her voice fading to a more thoughtful tone as she spoke.

  
Maru laughed, and nodded.

  
"It's an interesting situation you're in."

"I have to agree with that." Abby admitted, and then changed the topic. "So, medic's office, you think?" 

Ne shrugged.

"You know the medic. Even the SFs are calm 'round him." Maru pointed out.

"Hm, true. Okay, let's head over there now."

 

* * *

 

As Abby and Maru guided Connor through the hallways, Sarah walked past, stride even and the expression on her face indicating she was focused on something.

"Hey, Sarah, do you know where Danny's gone?" Abby called after her friend. She knew Becker had gone to the Armory at first, but he, too, had seemingly vanished somewhere in the ARC. Sarah twisted around at Abby's voice, eyes darting to Connor before her brow furrowed slightly.

  
"He told me he thought it would be better for Connor if they stayed away? Something about wolf behaviors?" Sarah said, uncertainly. Maru smiled.

"Danny's all sorts of surprises lately, isn't he?" Abby said, snickering, and then shook her head. "Any luck with the dart?" She asked.

  
"Unfortunately no. I'm guessing it's future tech. I passed it back on to the labs." Sarah replied, wiggling her hand in a vague gesture at the way she'd come from.

  
"You did your best." Abby offered, and Sarah nodded.

  
"Heading back to my office now, I suppose I'll work on my projects." The archaeologist hesitated. "You'll keep me updated?" She asked, glancing at Connor, who looked absolutely bored, fidgeting where he stood, and then to Maru and Abby.

  
Both nodded immediately.

  
"Of course!" Abby promised.

"No problem" Maru said, nir giving a mock-salute that made Sarah laugh, lightening her mood just a little.

 

* * * *

 

Sitting in the Medical office holding Abby's hand and purring, Connor presented a completely different picture than he had earlier. He was slightly nervous around the medic, but apart from wide eyes and a high-pitched whine whenever the man moved suddenly, Connor wasn't anything at all like he'd been.

  
Abby wasn't sure what would happen when the medic tried to take his blood, but she hoped her presence would keep him calm. She didn't much fancy another chase out of doors, especially not with the risk of an anomaly or two today still a possibility as always.

"Hey, Conn, it's alright. Dr Reynil's a good guy, this'll be over quicker 'n you can, erm..." She fumbled. "Well, it won't take a minute." Abby soothed, squeezing his hand in her's as the medic did his job. Connor whimpered once, but he did stay passive for the time it took for Dr. Reynil to take blood for the tests.

Quite soon, Connor and Abby were out of the medical office and heading back to the ops area, where there were more people milling around doing various things.

"Now, what're we to do while we wait for the tests..." She mused out loud, hesitating pointlessly for Connor's input. She wanted him back to normal, she missed his chatter, incessant (or inane) as it sometimes could be.

"Maybe you should bring him back to your flat for now?" She turned around to see Danny had joined them in the hallway. Connor narrowed his eyes, but didn't growl this time. Abby shook her head.

"It'll probably not be worth the effort to get him home an' back again today."

She said.

"That's assuming we do find a solution today, Abby." Danny pointed out. She frowned.

"You don't think we will?" She asked slowly, tone sharp. Connor wasn't completely oblivious, and growled low in his throat at Danny, thinking he was threatening her. Abby glared at Danny.  
"I just think that it won't be any sort of easy thing, tha' is all I meant." He explained, "we're not going to give up at all, I just think we should think realistically for the short term."  
Abby could see the sense in his words, but she didn't have to be happy about it. She hated feeling useless.

"Okay, fine. Tell Lester I'm taking Connor back to my flat." Danny nodded, walking towards their boss' office. Abby turned to Connor, who was still glaring at the ex-copper. "Oi, stop glarin' at him, Conn." She told him; he looked at her in confusion. "Nevermind." She muttered. "C'mon, this way." Luckily, Jack had texted her earlier to say that he'd be out of the flat till after dark, so she wouldn't have to fumble an explanation for Connor's... well, for why he was behaving strangely.

* * * *

It took a lot of convincing before Connor would willingly get into the car and let Abby buckle him in - he couldn't do it himself, unfortunately - but soon enough they were on their way to the flat.

Some grumbling and whining and consequent changing of stations later (because Connor didn't like the song that came on, and Abby changed it because his whining was worse than his music preferences), she pulled the blue Mini Cooper into a space in front of her building.

  
Like Jack had said, he was out at the moment, and she was also relieved to find that he had in fact cleaned up the worst of his mess after she left for work. For once. Connor started sniffing around and investigating the whole place the moment they walked in the door, and after putting up tea, she found him peeking into her room curiously.

  
"Connor!" She scolded. He whipped around, eyes wide. Abby rolled her eyes. "You're worse than the Diictodons right now, Conn." She told him, shaking her head in amusement before heading back through to the living room. Connor paused before following her, and when she sat on the couch, he sat next to her and curled up against her, his cheek against her shoulder. Abby sighed, and turned on the tele.

  
She wondered what Helen's motives had been, for doing this - whatever it was - to Connor. Apart from the fact that he growled at most of the male members of the ARC team, there weren't any real negatives - he hadn't hurt any of them, he was clinging like a limpet to her 90% of the time, and he... Abby blinked, realization dawning.

  
Connor was the ARC's resident genius, even more so now that Cutter had been killed by Helen. Connor's mind was a major block in Helen's plans, whatever they may be.

Abby carefully disentangled her arm from Connor's grasp, ruffling his hair lightly before she went into the kitchen. Connor watched her, pouting slightly, until she was out of view. Up in the rafters, Rex chirped at Connor, glad to see the second of his humans in their home again.

Abby figured she had great timing, as the kettle was just boiling as she entered. She lowered the light before she picked up her mobile and dialed a number she knew quite well. Two rings, and Lester answered.

"James Lester."

"It's Abby. I just realized what Helen's motives for all this are." She said, deciding to cut to the chase.

"Oh?" She was half sure her boss'd already figured it out for himself, but said it anyway.

"If Connor can't think like a human, can't talk to tell us anything, we won't be able to make-"

"-much progress on the current projects." Lester finished, confirming her thoughts. "However, she did not consider, I think, that he would react the way he has. She probably believed he would behave differently, thereby lengthening the amount of time between injection and finding a cure."

"What should we do?"

"The lab teams are doing their best, Ms. Maitland, You will be the first to know when they find a cure. And in the meantime, keep Connor safe, in case Helen has secondary plans. I will instruct Captain Becker and Mr. Quinn to go over the security systems." Lester said.

  
"I think I can do a little more than just sit tight, Lester! I'll remind you that I _am_ a scientist in my own right!" Abby snapped, insulted. "I can help them by mobile, if I must." She added, and heard Lester sigh.

  
"Apologies, though I had not forgotten in fact, Ms. Maitland. I was just unsure how well you could assist from your flat. But I will leave this to you." He said, and he did sound sorry, beneath the civil service man voice. She smiled despite herself.

  
"Don't forget to tell Sarah to work on the artefact - I know she was feeling useless earlier, and that's something she can make her priority."

  
"Of course." He agreed. She said goodbye and hung up, quickly pouring the tea for herself and Connor and heading back to the other room.

  
When Abby entered the livingroom, she found Connor sitting and purring, with Rex on his shoulder, chirping happily. She felt herself relax a little more - she'd been more worried about those two interacting than she'd admitted to herself, but obviousy Connor remembered Rex and was perfectly comfortable around him still.

Abby crossed to the couch and sat down next to them, giving Connor his cup of tea; he stared at it for a moment before it clicked, and she didn't, thankfully, have to help him drink it or hold the cup. Rex hopped off of his shoulder and onto the top of the couch, chirping.

She was surprised at how comfortable she felt, when Connor put his cup on the floor and then snuggled up to her once more. She'd though, with all of the awkwardness between them lately, she wouldn't be this comfortable holding his hand, or running her fingers through his hair, or cuddling on the sofa.

  
 It could be blamed on the fact that she was looking after Connor's best interests right now, by providing him with the contact he apparently needed... but she'd be lying to both of them to say that that was her only reason for not putting up any protest.

She sipped at her tea while they watched an old film on the tele, and twined her fingers with Connor's. His soft purr was soothing. If she considered it, it wasn't exactly like a cat's purr: humans don't have whatever it is that allows for a true, continuous purr. When he had to take a breath, the sound stopped, but that didn't lessen it's clear meaning of contentment. Abby leaned her head till it touched the top of Connor's, where it rested on her shoulder.

By the time the movie ended, it was almost dark out, and as she stood and stretched, carding fingers through Connor's hair as he sat cross-legged on the sofa, Abby realized that Jack would soon be home. She bit her lip as she considered Connor. She couldn't have Jack and Connor in the flat at the same time! But Lester had basically insisted that their resident geek stay with her.

Connor followed her, curious again, and probably as hungry as she was, into the kitchen, where she'd left her mobile. He opened the pantry, she closed it. He opened one of the cabinets and a draw, and she closed those too, holding her mobile in the crook of her neck with her shoulder and holding him back from each thing he tried to investigate with her other hand.

Jack picked up his phone on the fifth ring.

"What?"

"Jack, sorry, you won't be able to come back to the flat for a few days." Abby said, batting away Connor's hand when he tried to open the bread drawer.

"Wha'? Why?"

"It's, er..." She bit her lip, thinking quickly. "It's being fumigated - bugs - and it won't be safe for a bit." She lied.

"Oh, er, a'ight. I guess I c'n crash with one of me mates for now." Jack said, hanging up without asking what she would do, and without saying goodbye.

"Brat." Abby muttered, putting her mobile down and taking Connor's hand. "Right, Conn, what do you think we should have for dinner?" He whined at her, and she couldn't help but laugh at his expression of 'I don't care, but please feed me'. "Okay, okay, here, why don't you have some crisps and I'll rustle something up?" She suggested, opening a package and handing them to him, before pushing Connor gently in the direction of the living room.

She'd cooked last night, and he'd gotten them takeaways the night before that, so technically it was his turn, but she couldn't even imagine trying to get her feral Connor to do that.

She'd make something easy, simple, and have him make it up to her... Maybe they could go on an actual date sometime... Abby froze, eyes wide, then she snorted. Her thoughts betrayed her, but she actually liked the idea of going on a date with Connor. Abby smiled. Once they got him back to normal...

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Abby wasn't used to a quiet Connor, and it was more than a little unsettling. Usually, he wouldn't stop talking for more than a few minutes at a time, and the conversation always easy and two-way between them. Right now, if she spoke, he probably couldn't understand her words, and he definitely couldn't answer, so everything felt off-balance.

Dinner was a strangely quiet affair, except for the moments when Connor made her think of a little kid mixed with a puppy, and he had tomato sauce all over him by the time he'd finished eating. Abby couldn't help but laugh, and he purred in response.

While Abby led Connor to the bathroom and turned the sink's tap on warm. Finding a washcloth and soap, Abby turned to Connor, who stood there with tomato all over his face, and chuckled.

"You're not going to like this, are you?" She asked. He looked at her blankly. "Hold still, Conn!" She said, laughing, scrubbing his face with the washcloth as he squirmed away, whining. She lost her grip on his shoulder and he spun away, before darting back to the sink and sticking a hand into the water.  


"No, no, no -" Abby raised both hands, still laughing, as Connor narrowed his eyes at her playfully and cupped his hand in the water before splashing her.

It took ten minutes to get the last of the sauce off of his face, and by the end of it, they both were absolutely drenched from head to toe. In the back of her mind Abby was still thinking about where Connor would sleep, but most of her attention was on enjoying the moment. The last time they'd had this much fun... had been two years ago, before Stephen's death. Abby'd decided to wash her car, and Connor volunteered to help: they'd spent more time throwing the water at each other than at the car...

Abby smiled. She'd missed this, and even though he wasn't exactly thinking like himself, he was still so very much *Connor* that it was irrelevant.

"Connor!" She laughed, pushing him back when he shook his hair and sent more water spraying her way. His eyes grinned at her, and he moved closer to her, leaning forwards and pressing his nose against her shoulder. She pulled him into a hug, and suddenly found their faces much, much closer, when he straightened up at the same time. Abby met his dark eyes and leaned the tiniest bit closer...

The doorbell rang, and Abby pulled away, leaving Connor to stare after he in a sort of quietly confused way as she went.

 

* * *

 

Abby took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart before she went to the door.

"Who is it?" She hoped her voice was steady.

"Becker!" She opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the duffel bag in his hand. The Captain chuckled, lifting it slightly. "Lester sent me. He says this holds some of Connor's things - just the necessities - and that it'd be best if he stays here tonight." Becker told her, handing over the bag. Abby took it, smiling. Becker didn't comment on her wet clothes and hair, and neither did she.

"Thanks, Becker. Oh - Lester doesn't mind watching the Diictodons for a bit, does he?""

"He told me that if they eat his best suits or upend the rubbish bin again, he'll dock your's and Connor's salaries, but yes, he doesn't really mind." Abby laughed, thanking Becker again. After he left, and she closed the door, she turned around to find a disgruntled-looking Connor glaring at the closed door. The moment, whatever it could have been, was gone, and her heart didn't race when she took his hand and led him back into the main area of the flat.

"Conn, hey, it's just Becker, yeah? Come on."

She'd sat him down on the sofa with Rex and put in Star Wars, moving to the bathroom to clean up... and to think.

They'd almost kissed. Had Becker been a few moments later, Abby was sure she and Connor would have kissed, and she wasn't sure which of them would've instigated it. She huffed a little, realizing she wanted to know what it would be like: she wanted to kiss Connor, wanted to tell him how she felt and... She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This was not the right time for this: Connor wasn't himself. She had, however, figured out where Connor would sleep. The sofa was comfy enough, and they'd fallen asleep on it before, during movie night.

She returned to the living room, feeling indescribably happy when Connor immediately snuggled close, putting his head on her shoulder; she leaned her head against his.

 

* * *

 

As Abby soon discovered, Connor did not like being alone. Or at least, he did not like being apart from her, at all. She'd gotten up to go to bed halfway through the movie, moving his head off of her lap and untangling her hand from the unruly strands of his hair, and Connor had whined. He would sleep on the sofa, and she would sleep in her own bed. Connor did not like that idea. He wanted to be wherever she was.

Ten minutes later, and she found him standing in her doorway, looking at her forlornly, like a kicked puppy. She sighed, taking his hand and pulling him after her to the sofa, where they curled up together. The movie continued playing long after they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms.

 

* * *

 

Danny yawned and rubbed his eyes, squirming his way through a ventilation shaft that led to the break room. Becker had suggested their favorite method of checking the security systems, after the inital checks had been done with. This was Helen they were talking about, and Becker and the other soldiers couldn't really think like she did. Danny could, however, having had to deal with wild-card suspects and madmen before.

(Yes, she'd come in through an anomaly the last time, but they had to keep more 'normal' means of intrusion in mind as well. There was also the chance that Christine Johnson might want to take advantage of this if she found out. )

He emerged from the small space to find Becker already there, grinning.

"I win."

"Yeah, yeah." Danny grumbled, smiling anyway. "Seal off the access points of this one, but I haven't found any more that lead outside the ARC."

"The one to the parking lot is closed up as well as health and safety will allow, and your little secret passageway is still safe." Well, there was one, and they'd both worked their hardest to make sure it was camouflaged from the outside access. It was the 'just in case' route out of the ARC.

"So, any updates on the progress?" Becker asked, as they walked through the hallway back to the ops area. "Sarah's working on the artefact more often than not, and I don't really interact with any of the other scientists." He added, frowning.

"I think they're making some slow progress." Danny offered. "I don't know much more than that they've isolated...something." They walked in silence for a few moments, before Danny broke it.

"Connor'll be alright." he assured Becker, though it was as much for himself as the Captain.

"Otherwise Abby will have our heads - and Helen's." Becker said, only half joking. Danny nodded, a twisted grin on his face.   



	4. Chapter 4

Abby awoke the next morning up to find herself comfortably entwined with Connor on the sofa. He was still fast asleep, breathing quietly and peacefully - she always woke up earlier than him, anyway - and she found herself watching him sleep. As constantly animated as he was when awake, there was something fascinating about how still he was when asleep, in contrast. Waking up like this, with Connor, it was more comfortable than she could've imagined... It felt right, somehow. She was still too sleep-muddled to really give her thoughts too much mind.

She moved just far enough to be able to see his face better. Connor was, among men, not only handsome but also beautiful, with startlingly long lashes and cupid's bow lips, and the gentle smile on his face in his slumber made her wonder what he was dreaming about. Right now, he looked peaceful.... normal, like she could wake him up and he'd be back to normal, the chatty dorky genius, rather than the feral and animalistic version of himself he was right now in reality.

After a few minutes, she untangled herself, getting up and sleepily making her way to the kitchen. She put the kettle on, and then wandered into her room to change (she'd still been wearing her clothes from the day before when she'd tried to go to sleep in her own bed, and then slept on the couch with Connor). halfway through getting dressed, Abby finally woke up the rest of the way, and she hurried through getting the rest of her clothes on so she could run out and check her phone.

There were two text messages, one from Sarah and one from Danny. Danny's said that he and Becker had shored up all holes in security and that the Captain had set up observation on the flat, just in case Helen decided to come knocking. Sarah's message frustrated Abby: They were making progress, but hadn't found a cure yet. Abby wanted to do something useful; she wanted to help reverse what Helen'd done to Connor, but she couldn't, not really. Not that she really minded taking care of Connor, and spending time with him wasn't a hardship, but she was tired of doing nothing but sit at home already, and not being able to help made it worse.

She couldn't even go to the store, or take a walk, because she wasn't going to leave Connor alone, and she had a feeling taking him with her would be a horrible idea. He might flip out at a complete stranger and then there'd be a lot of explaining to do.

Abby also knew that if she was having a hard time, even feral as he was, Connor would probably have a worse time of it, once he woke up. Sitting idle didn't fit either of them well, at all. She could hear Connor waking up in the other room, as the kettle started to boil.

 

* * *

 

Abby was relieved that Connor's mind had retained the knowledge of dressing himself in spite of whatever Helen had done to him, and Abby was both thankful and also - she secretly admitted to herself - somewhat disappointed that she didn't have to help him, at least with his shirts... She shook her head to expel the thought, pouring cereal into her bowl in the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

After breakfast, Abby could tell that Connor was bored, and she racked her brain for something to do. She usually went to yoga while Connor played video games, but she was pretty sure that he couldn't play any of them right now, and if she went to yoga, she'd probably spend the entire time worrying. Abby turned on the radio, putting the volume up when a favorite of the both of them came on. Connor's eyes were bright and he was bouncing in his seat when she turned around, and she laughed.

She ended up dancing around the kitchen while Connor attempted to do the same, humming along. A few minutes later and the music was blasting, windows flung open to let the brisk morning air in, and Abby was singing, Connor sat on the counter top bobbing his head to the beat. Rex had winged his way down from the rafters to join them, and was doing much the same as Connor. The sun was shining, and it was warm out, and after that song ended Abby turned the music low, and they ended up sitting outside on the front steps of the flat, people-watching. Connor had his head on her shoulder. It was nice, Abby thought with a soft smile.

* * *

[Location: Unknown]

Helen smirked. The soldier boy and wild-card copper really thought they had everything patched, didn't they? She chuckled. They were just lucky she was fine with observing. And that there wasn't due another anomaly in the location of the ARC for five years or so from now. Her plan had had some unintended results, but the main one was good enough. She'd slowed their progress, and she truly didn't think they would find a way to reverse what she'd done.

Maybe, if she was lucky, they would try to bargain with her! That could be a bit of fun... And as much as she could say she didn't really care about the internal workings of the ARC, the blondie and her ex husband's little prodigy really needed some sort of push. Maybe they'd get together, and then she could have some fun messing with their emotions again at some later point. People in love tended to react in unexpected ways to some of her plans...

Not that they were terribly important, not like stopping the destruction of the world by human beings was. She would concentrate on that. She still had yet to figure out what the artifact really did - it was frustrating to not know, and Helen wondered if her ex husband had in fact known anything about it at all, or whether that had been a bluff... Too bad she hadn't had time to steal the artifact back when she'd been in the ARC, but that anomaly wouldn't have stayed open much longer anyway.

She hummed as she turned and walked away, a smirk curling her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, I'm bored out of my mind. Let's walk to the ARC, 'n see how they're doing, yeah? Maybe you can hang around the menagerie with me?" Abby suggested suddenly, taking Connor's hand and standing up. He immediately got to his feet as well, purring. Abby chuckled. "I should probably warn the guys, but I kind of want to see what'll happen." Abby admitted, snickering. "Let me just get my bag and the detectors and lock the door, 'n we'll be off."

Connor followed her back inside, and when she emerged from her room, she found him sitting on the counter top, swinging his legs. Abby rolled her eyes, shutting the windows they'd thrown open earlier.

"Oi, off the counter, Conn!" He turned wide eyes on her, and dutifully did as she said, following her eagerly as they left the flat.

"I hope this isn't the worst idea of the century, Conn." Abby muttered. Twining her fingers with his wasn't even a conscious thought, as she'd gotten so used to and comfortable with the action. His hands were clad, as ever, in his black fingerless gloves. She wondered for the hundredth or so time why he wore them near-constantly. She had to focus again, though, because they hadn't walked to work in a while, and she didn't fancy getting lost in her own neighborhood with a feral Connor, or at all, really.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, the walk to the ARC was uneventful, and just long enough of a walk to stretch muscles tightened by inactivity. It also seemed to serve to calm Connor down, as at the start, he was rather hyper. By the time the two of them arrived at the gate - Abby had remembered to pack their security passes - Connor was more sedate, but still enthusiastic as ever. He would probably have fun visiting the creatures in the menagerie, and she wondered she he didn't normally go there once in a while. One more thing to ask him when - when, not if - they got him back to normal. Abby figured she had a list a mile long by now, as she led him through the hallways towards the menagerie.

"Abby?" She stopped walking and turned to smile at Becker, who stood in the doorway to the armoury, arms extended to the top and side of the doorway in a was that only he could make look lazy, rather than a strain. Abby opened her mouth to greet him, when she was interrupted by Connor's growl. Abby shifted so her hand wasn't in Connor's, but gripped his wrist.

"Conn, calm down, it's OK; it's Becker, yeah? You know him, he's a good guy..." Abby turned to the feral young man and soothed. Despite the possible seriousness of the moment, a part of her brain still noticed that with his nose scrunched up as he growled, he looked kind of cute. She gave herself a mental shake. The Captain didn't seem too worried that Connor would attack him.

Abby narrowed her eyes, thinking. Connor growled again, and she stroked the back of his hand; he was being protective and... possessive. What she couldn't understand was why he would think Becker or Danny as threats to either herself or Connor. She most certainly wasn't interested in them that way, and she had never given any signs that she was...

But then again, she'd never given any signs that she wasn't, and she knew that Connor, the sweetheart that he was, was also not very confident when it came to anything regarding interacting with her... and it was probably, mostly, her fault. Still, she would deal with that specific issue... after.

"Sorry, Becker. I wanted to get us out of the flat for a bit, we were getting bored, so we're gonna stay out of the way, maybe visit the menagerie, or Sarah." She paused an idea forming in her mind, "could you take a few steps back, and tilt your head a little?" Becker raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I want to see something. Please?" He sighed, nodding, and acquiesced. Immediately, Connor stopped growling, though he still watched Becker carefully. Abby grinned. "Well, I guess my theory was right."

"And what's that?" Becker asked, curious. Abby could only smirk.

"Connor thinks I'm, in simple terms, the alpha wolf, and you were challenging me." She hadn't been sure, because some of how Connor acted wasn't wolflike at all, but she'd guessed right, this time. And if there was another little theory, that perhaps feral Connor wanted to be her...mate... and thought Becker was challenging him on that, buzzing around her mind, Abby would keep it a secret. She wasn't sure what she thought of that idea.

 

* * *

 

Sarah was juggling her time between working on the artefact, and assisting in finding a cure for Connor. Since Lester had told them what Helen's plans might be, Sarah had realized that they couldn't forget about the artefact; it was too important, and the reason Helen had done this. If they could figure it out and get Connor back to normal...

Unfortunately, while she knew some basics, she wasn't much help to the lab technicians working on the cure. She was, first and foremost, an archaeologist, and working with blood and foreign contaminants and all of that... she didn't have much of a head for it, to be honest. So she was doing what she could, which was working on what Connor could not, at the moment, help her do.

 

* * *

 

Maru, one of the lab technicians, frowned down at the charts and results of tests. Around them, the others assigned to find a cure for Helen's mayhem - Annie, Jonah, Irin, Mich, and Lisa - continued to collaborate on the momentous task with varying degrees of speed. 

Their areas of focus made them the best choices among all of the ARC's employees to do this... But so far (in Maru's personal opinion, of course), they weren't having much success, despite having found what seemed to be the cause of Temple's altered mental state and behavior. The team of lab techs couldn't treat this like an illness, because whatever Helen had done to Temple, it wasn't merely an infection, or anything like that. Normally, and even for things like snake bites and such, a sample of the thing that caused it was enough to culture something to reverse it or kill off the invading substance. Something along that lines, perhaps?.... 

Maru, privately, was worried that they wouldn't be able to reverse this... they had a sinking, horrible feeling that Connor Temple would be stuck like this forever.

They didn't fancy telling that to Abby Maitland, though.

 


	6. Chapter 6

One week later, and things were... sort of settling in. While Abby was definitely worried for Connor, and a part of her was increasingly on the edge of a panic attack, she concentrated on the now, on what she could affect. Since Connor wasn't happy around anyone else but her - a few minutes alone with Danny had led to one hell of a staring contest that the former copper was losing - Abby had had no choice but to spend nearly every waking moment with him.

Not that they didn't _normally_ spend the majority of their time together anyway, but this was different. On the one hand, it eased things between them a bit, because she didn't have to fret about whether he'd interpret the cuddling as a romantic gesture, since Connor was currently not himself. On the other hand, they both had pretty bad cases of cabin fever by now.

Abby'd thought about what to say to her brother, and decided to tell him that there was a bit of trouble with the flat, so he'd need to find somewhere else to live for a little while longer than she'd expected. He'd grudgingly accepted when she called him, telling her that he'd be alright to stay at a B&B for a while. He also asked for money, which wasn't entirely unreasonable since she'd gave him no real notice. After leaving Connor with Sarah at the ARC, she had met up with her brother and given him the money, warning him to use it for food and paying for his room rather than gambling. He'd hemmed and hedged but agreed and she'd given him a hug before returning to the ARC. He hadn't called since. Abby felt a bit bad for being relieved by that fact.

Today she and Connor would be heading back to the ARC, as apparently the lab tech team needed a little more blood for some more tests. Besides that, they needed to get out of the flat, so even though being stuck with a needle clearly wasn't Connor's concept of a good time, it was better than nothing.

 

* * *

 

The lab tech who was standing by while the medic took Connor's blood was named Irin, and Abby was reminded of the man beside her, watching the jittery, enthusiastic young woman peppering the medic with questions as she darted around the room restlessly. The medic - a man who was an unruffled type of guy - managed to keep Connor equally calm throughout the procedure, and Abby found she was even able to leave them alone for a bit while she pulled the lab tech outside the office.

"So, any news?" Abby asked. Irin's grin faltered for a moment.  


"It's hard to say." Irin said hesitantly. Abby waited until she continued. "We're making some progress, and Mich thinks he has a lead to follow up on, but..." She paused, a strange look in her eyes, before continuing, "well, we'll know more for sure after we test the new sample."

  
"Okay. Thanks." Abby said, tone flat. Irin caught her arm, sympathy clear in her expression.

  
"I'm sorry. We're doing our best."

  
"I know. It's just..." Abby cut herself off, but Irin nodded; she knew what she meant. Maru, another of the lab techs, was of the opinion that Mich's lead was hopeless, and that Connor was stuck like this. Irin, however, was most assuredly not sharing that distasteful tidbit with miss Maitland. (Leave that to Maru, or Jonah, the damn pessemists...).

"I'll let you know when we get the results." The other said, instead. Abby nodded. They went back into the office, and Abby found Connor poking at the bandage . The medic handed the samples to Irin, who left soon after.

 

* * *

 

Abby took Connor to visit the menagerie again. He seemed to enjoy it, though the Smilodon made him nervous from behind the glass. Manny whuffled his dark hair with air from his trunk, and Abby giggled at the look on Connor's face. He huffed, and walked away in the direction of the habitat of a small ceratopsian.

Letting Connor wander, but keeping some attention on him just in case, Abby found her thoughts going in circles on the topic of their relationship. She was frustrated with herself just as much as Connor, and even though now definitely wasn't the time to think about how she felt about him and vice versa, she couldn't help but berate herself for letting him drop the subject months ago, after he and Cutter had saved her from the _Mer_. After thinking about _that_ for a bit, she then grumbled in her head at him for denying that he'd told her he loved her. 

But she'd been hesitant too, taking a step back and hoping he'd step forwards, giving in and then recoiling. Ruining their friendship was what she had been afraid of this whole time - what if something happened and they broke up? Maybe that was what Connor was afraid of, too? _This is getting me nowhere!_ Abby thought, and pulled her mind away from this frustrating topic to follow after Connor, finding him in front of the _Caudipteryx_ cage, peering at the pair of colorful avian-like dinosaurs within. 

Abby shrugged, and leaned against the glass, watching the male and female  _Caudipteryx_ going about their business. 

"You know, if these two decide to mate, we could eventually be witness to the first ever hatching of a baby dinosaur in the 21st century." She said, smiling at the mental image of a young one of these strutting about like his or her parents. Connor, obviously, didn't understand her, but he purred anyway, shoulder brushing hers ever so slightly. She looked at him, smiling, and he purred louder.

Mentally, she made some decisions, of a sort: once they got her Connor back to normal, there were some questions to be asked, some explanations given, and truths spoken. And perhaps an actual kiss.

 

* * *

 

Two days later, Abby got a call from the ARC in the middle of the night. She woke immediately,squirmed her way out of Connor's arms on the sofa, and ran to her bedroom to find her mobile ringing incessantly. 

"Hello?" She answered it sleepily.

"Ms Maitland."

"Oh, Lester. Hi." 

"You and your puppy dog ought to come in. There's news you might want to hear." Their boss said, sounding a bit less put-upon than usual. Abby's eyes widened.

"They found a cure?!" She exclaimed, hope and relief filling her and making her giddy.

"I'd rather not explain the details over the phone. Twenty minutes, my office."

Lester told her.

Within fifteen minutes, they were dressed, fed and on their way to the ARC in her mini.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Muse uncooperative and stuff like that. I edited parts of previous chapters on a readthrough, also. Anyways, hope you enjoy this one! :)

After calling miss Maitland, Lester turned to the man who had moments before informed him of the possible cure for Temple, and sent him off to wrangle his coworkers whilst he called the rest of the main ARC team. The six lab techs that gathered in Lester's office with the boss were soon joined by Sarah, Becker, and Danny. Everyone sat there, hardly speaking, while they waited for their friends. The two walked in just then, and Abby led Connor to a pair of seats near Sarah. Connor, for once, didn't growl at anyone, merely curled as close to Abby as the armrests of his chair would allow, looking sleepy.

  
Abby cleared her throat.

  
"So, you said there's news?" She asked.

Lester nodded to the lab techs. The group whispered to each other for a moment before the lab technician who'd delivered the news to Lester stepped forwards, not looking very happy about it.

"We think we've found a cure."

"That's great news!" Abby exclaimed. The team looked at each other, smiling and grinning, though Becker was watching the tech with narrowed eyes. Abby caught his look, and the smile on her face dropped.

"There's something else, isn't there?" She asked, slowly. The man grimaced.

"Yes. We've found a possible cure - but it's a huge risk. It might turn him back to normal... but there are some dangerous possible side effects. " He paused. "He might end up with brain damage - might be stuck with the brain capacities of a child, permanently. It also might not work at all." The man gulped audibly, and didn't meet any of their stunned gazes. "It could also kill him."

The team sat there in numb silence.

 

* * *

 

"No." Abby didn't hesitate before protesting. She was not going to risk Connor's life or health in any way. "Absolutely not."

"I thought not." Lester said, sighing. "But I understand completely," their boss added, grudging compassion on his face.

"So..." Abby said, voice small. What would they do now? Was Conn going to be feral for the rest of his life?

"We'll keep looking. Find another way to cure him that won't have as many risks." Irin spoke up, her tone earnest. Abby nodded, shoulders slumping.

 


End file.
